


What Will Make You Believe Me?

by Two_for_Slashing



Series: This Hurricane Loves You [2]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Crack Fic, M/M, Rare Pairings, boys being stupid, here you go, let's be honest I just wanted to write more Carolina Hurricanes slash fic, minor timeline discrepancy, this is also a comedy like the first story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 07:38:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13608672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Two_for_Slashing/pseuds/Two_for_Slashing
Summary: Four months later and Victor and Jeff are still going strong. Elias is happy for them - if only anything else going on in his life was making sense.(sequel to Keep It All From You)





	1. The First Night

**Author's Note:**

> You don't need to have read the first fic to have read this, but a few comments passed in the narration will make more sense if you do, so feel free to check that out.
> 
> I've seen cute videos and gifs of Elias and Brock together, which basically just triggered the whole "aww why not ship the two pretty Hurricanes together?" Also I've wanted to delve more into the Victor/Jeff relationship, so this was an excuse to write more of that.
> 
> Timeline discrepancy tag = Brock/Victor on the Checkers and when Jared Staal was there. I know he’s been bouncing around teams for a few years but for the sake of a few jokes we’re pretending Brock overlapped with him briefly. 
> 
> Even though this is a chapter fic, it's not going to be that long. Promise.
> 
> Title taken from the song "This Tornado Loves You" by Neko Case, which also lends it's name to the series. Obvious reasons for its choice should be obvious.
> 
> If you are Elias or Brock or Jeff or Victor or Teuvo or Sebastian or ANYONE related to them or a Hurricane, LEAVE NOW AND NEVER COME BACK. Seriously though. Go. Away. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy, and thanks for clicking in in the first place.

It's not that he's jealous.

If there's one thing he's not, and Elias was so certain that he knew where he stood in this conviction that he'd be willing to swear upon it, it's jealous. Sure, Skinny had been his best friend on the team since he had been a rookie with no driver's license way back when, and then he and Rasker had bonded super quickly when he finally made the jump up from the Checkers, but jealous of two of his closest friends dating each other? No. That was not the type of friend Elias was.

Although he would be lying if he said that he was a bit surprised that they were still together after almost four months. The night after Victor had finally confronted his feelings for Jeff, Elias had woke to a spam of texts from his friend, most of them in caps and with a variety of smiley emojis, all to the affect of _ELIAS ELIAS VICTOR LIKES ME ELIAS ANSWER YOUR PHONE ELIAS_. Too tired to deal with Jeff, he had sent back a simple _Congrats Skinny, go have fun, but not too much_ before promptly dropping his head back onto his pillow, hoping that Nordy was still alive from where he had fallen asleep next to the toilet.

Nordy was definitely alive and grumbling hours later, and Elias had hoped that Jeff had taken his advice, and when he found the two in pleasant moods at brunch later that day he was happy to see that whatever was going on seemed to be going well.

He just hadn't expected them to start dating. 

And that wasn't to say he was against them dating - because he totally wasn't. Absolutely not. If asked, he would openly admit that it was nice how Rasker dressed up in slacks and a button-down for something as simple as a home cooked meal at Jeff's place, or how Jeff couldn't do anything less than beam at him whenever he so much as walked into the room, even if the whole team was there. 

The whole team totally knew something was going on, though most of them ignored it. Elias observed Faulker and Nordy sharing knowing glances whenever Jeff and Victor were near each other, neither of them helping their case by Jeff's bright grin causing Victor to have to fight back a smile he could barely contain anymore. He heard their names muttered in quiet conversation between TVR and Darls even though he couldn't hear the context the pair was using their names in. He caught Jordan Staal giving them a raised eyebrow of suspicion at a team dinner one night, when Jeff couldn't stop laughing at something Victor had said and Victor had just stared back at him fondly, despite Elias nudging him in the foot repeatedly. Sebastian and Teuvo always gave them small smiles, the four of them all keeping their relationships secret even though Sebastian and Teuvo were far better at it than Victor and Jeff. 

Elias often found Sebastian eyeing him more often than not since that night when he had discovered from Victor that the two Finns were in a relationship, but he hadn't uttered a word and he hoped that Sebastian knew he wasn't planning on it. Elias didn't like causing any problems, and the last thing he wanted to do was get on Sebastian's bad side. He might have seemed reserved, but Elias had a suspicion that Sebastian was far more dangerous than his shy, innocent personality let on. 

It was because of that that Elias also wasn't surprised when Sebastian had addressed his silence on the whole issue.

"Does that bother you?"

Elias had glanced up, working his way out of a skate. The team had just won a game against Pittsburgh, barely managing to beat the Pens but still coming out with a win. Sebastian was flushed and beaming, probably buzzing from his two goals, but his dark-eyed gaze was solely on Victor and not on Coach Peters, who was off to the corner with the camera crew, praising the Finn's abilities. 

He didn't think Sebastian was talking to him at first, because he had asked his question very softly and was sitting very close to Teuvo, who was glancing between him and Elias, looking confused. 

Elias could definitely relate to the look on Teuvo's face. "What bothers me?" he asked, finally freeing his foot.

Sebastian tilted his head ever so slightly to the right, and Elias didn't have to follow the motion to know that Victor had probably kicked Brock out of his stall yet again and was sitting next to Jeff, who was definitely smiling and babbling about the game and probably happily anticipating whatever the two of them had planned that night whenever they snuck away from the team after-party. 

Elias felt a pang of jealousy hit his heart. Jeff used to tell him everything about anyone he was interested in, which meant he received many long texts about how the green of the Minnesota Wild jersey really brought out the color of Eric's eyes, or that Jordan really should consider growing his hair out again like he had it with Pittsburgh because he had looked super cute like that, or that Victor had such a nice smile, _why didn't he smile more, Elias?_

"It doesn't bother me," he lied, apparently not well as Sebastian gave him a look that clearly stated he had made the right choice by not making acting his career.

"It bothers me." Brock dropped his bag next to Elias, plopping down next to him in the stall that had been vacated by an already-showering TVR. He smiled at the trio, running his hand through his sweaty red hair. "I mean, you can't force them to come out, but they could at least tell me they want to sit next to each other. I don't care what they're doing, but I need to change."

"Wow, they're that obvious, huh?" Teuvo remarked. There was an air of causualness to his tone that only Teuvo could pull off, but anyone who was really listening could hear the slight strain to his voice. Elias watched as he glanced at Sebastian, who was staring at Brock with a very obvious look of alarm, his brown eyes wide and face paling. Elias would have giggled, but Sebastian had a skate in his hand that he didn't want thrown at his face. 

Brock didn't seem to notice their unconvincing attempt at nonchalance, as he was busy working his shoulder pads off. "I mean, I've been hearing rumors about Jeff for a while. He was a pretty popular topic in Charlotte, especially when Jared was around. But Victor never said anything to me."

Elias looked up. "Would he have?" he asked, genuinely not knowing why Victor would confide in Brock. He knew that the two played on the Checkers for a bit together before Victor made the jump up to Raleigh first, and that they hung out a lot now, especially if it involved golf and Brock losing at it. But Victor - Victor was his friend. He had told him about Jeff before Jeff had said anything about Victor. 

Elias couldn't wrap his head around why Victor would even let Brock in on his personal life. He hadn't even known Brock was trustworthy in that aspect, either.

If he was being completely honest with himself, Elias had never really taken the time to really _consider_ Brock. Or, okay, well, that was a bit of a lie, and since Elias was being honest with himself he knew it just made sense to admit at least that, because he _had_ considered Brock, at least very briefly.

It was a stupid, weak moment on his part, brought on by too much alcohol after a hard loss and entrusting Nordy of all people to keep an eye on him. But Brock looked very good in thigh-hugging jeans and a loose polo on the dance floor, and then leaning against the bar all sweaty doing shots with Brett, his hair stuck to his neck, all big smiles and laughter.

Elias hadn’t meant to keep looking longer than he did, because he was supposed to be grieving a hard loss or whatever the excuse Jeff gave when he slipped out to take a taxi to Victor’s, but he had just kept on looking.

But considering Brock in that other way, the way where Victor had found him trustworthy enough to discuss his Jeff-related feelings? Yeah, no. He definitely hadn’t ever considered that.

Brock returned his gaze. There was some expression in his dark eyes that Elias couldn't read, and he definitely couldn't tell whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. "He knows what I'm cool with. So I'm not surprised what happened." He leaned forward, looking over in the direction of the topics of conversation. "I'm a bit surprised about the Jeff part, though."

"Join the club," Teuvo muttered. 

"I mean, I'm not saying anything bad about Jeff. Jeff's a good guy, but not who I thought Victor was interested in. I mean, like, that's his type? Really?"

"Again, we're accepting membership." Teuvo gestured widely. "Come be confused with the confused."

"What do you think his type is?" Elias was genuinely curious, even though he didn't want to be curious. He did have to agree with Brock, though, because he had been shocked when Victor had expressed interest in Jeff. He didn't know what he thought Victor's type was, but he knew it wasn't Jeff Skinner.

Brock shrugged, standing up. He unzipped his bag, stuffing his pads inside. He had a look of deep focus on his face, which was definitely way more concentration than Elias had ever seen a teammate give to the packing of their hockey gear. It was a weird look on Brock, who usually looked pleasantly content most days. "I dunno. I mean, someone like you, I guess." 

He had his bag zipped and slung over his shoulder before Elias had so much as registered what he had said, and then he was out the door before a response had even come out of his mouth. Elias knew he shouldn't have been gawking after Brock, but he totally was, and for once he forgot for a moment about Victor and Jeff, because what did Brock even _mean_?

Okay, Elias totally knew what he meant. He was used to even Jeff, who had made it very clear early on in their friendship that even though he found men and the Staal brothers attractive he wasn't interested in Elias that way, commenting on his body or how nice his eyes were or how attractive he was in general - but Brock? He had to have meant something like that, even though he had never uttered an opinion on it before, at least to Elias' knowledge. Most guys on the team had made a crack or two at him over the years, especially on Instagram posts from the summer, but never Brock. He was part of the select few Hurricanes that Elias had thought just didn't feel the need to point out the obvious when it came to Elias Lindholm and the attention he drew from both sexes.

He was dumbfounded, to say the least, and Elias would never have said never, but he didn't think he had ever been expecting to be made dumbfounded by Brock McGinn.

Something warm began to grow deep in the pit of his stomach.

"He's as bad as Jeff with the Swedes dating other Swedes theory," Teuvo said after a few moments of Elias uttering nothing.

"Well he was right about the Finns dating Finns, so maybe he's on to something." He blinked, looking away from the door where Brock had made his exit. Elias didn't want his statement to be right, because Jeff's theory had only been half right, and unless Brock knew something Elias didn't, his theory wasn't going to be completely right anytime soon.

"Except the Finns _aren’t_ dating other Finns," Sebastian muttered to Elias, raising his eyebrows in emphasis. It took Elias a moment to vaguely remember that this look was something that was supposed to terrify him. Sebastian was nodding very subtly towards Brett, who was two stalls down from the trio and half-naked. Elias looked at Teuvo, who had sighed and dropped his gaze to his lap.

"Right, no one's supposed to be involved with each other. Except for the two who obviously are, and the two who think they aren't obvious but totally are." He stood up, glancing down at the Finns. Teuvo still hadn't lifted up his head, but Sebastian was watching him with his wide dark eyes. Brett seemed to be blissfully unaware, despite Sebastian's apparent fear. "Think about your boyfriend's feelings, Sepe," Elias said in a soft voice, deciding to be respectful of Sebastian's wishes. "I'm gonna go rinse off." And with that Elias turned away, heading towards the showers, not giving Teuvo or Sebastian another thought and pretending that he didn't notice that Victor and Jeff were totally watching him head into the showers without glancing their way.

Thankfully no one followed him in, which had been Elias' first concern.

He spent the entire fifteen minutes standing under hot water thinking about Brock, which had been his second concern.

It didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. Elias wasn't sure what to make of that.


	2. The Next Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the love so far on chapter one! Hopefully chapter two keeps up that momentum!
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!

There was a loud knock on his door at 9:30am the next morning - an off day, one of the blessed few they had coming up in the next few weeks that didn't involve mandatory practice. Elias wasn't planning on sleeping in late, but he definitely was still sleeping at 9:30, so he raised a confused and groggy head off his pillow towards his door, not even sure he could begin to comprehend who would be there when he pulled it open.

Sebastian stood before him with crossed arms, an annoyed look on his face. He was biting down on his bottom lip, hard, and didn't seem opposed to staring down Elias after he had opened the door with a confused, "Hi, Sepe? What's up?"

"Why did you _say_ that?"

Elias blinked at his teammate, trying to clear the sleep from his brain. "What?" he asked, not understanding why Sebastian found fault with his greeting.

Sebastian sighed as he rolled his eyes and then slipped past Elias into his apartment. He stopped in the hallway, swiveling around on his heel to fix Elias with one hell of a look. "That remark. Yesterday. About me thinking about Teuvo's feelings. Why did you say that?"

It took Elias a moment to recall what Sebastian was talking about, and he made a soft _oh_ of recognition as Sebastian watched him. He had lowered his crossed arms from his chest to his stomach. It left Elias with an impression that he was holding himself, on the defense from whatever offense he must have thought Elias was going to offer him. He was worrying at his lip now as well, and Elias half wanted to offer him some gum. Sebastian was a chewer and while his gum clacking wasn’t Elias’s most favorite noise, he would handle it if it meant he used his facial ticks in a way that wasn't going to leave him bleeding before all this was done, however long that was going to be. 

The whole change in his demeanor was reminding Elias of a word that his still-sleep fogged brain was struggling to recall. 

"Do you pay any attention to Teuvo?"

He wasn't sure if that was the right response, but Elias figured it was better to start by heading towards the truth than away from it. 

Sebastian blinked slowly. "Is that really a question you need to be asking me?"

"I don't mean that in the way you think I mean it." Elias moved into his kitchen, lumbering towards the bowl of fruit he kept on the counter. He fished out an apple. "I mean it in a way like, do you pay attention to your boyfriend's reactions whenever you make it clear that you don't want anyone to know that's your boyfriend?" 

"We agreed we were keeping it quiet." Sebastian was now in the doorframe to his kitchen, his body language still screaming that he was on the defensive. 

Elias crunched for a moment. "You didn't answer my question."

Sebastian frowned, leaning into the doorframe. The word "insecure" popped into Elias' brain - _that_ was what he had been trying to think of early. Sebastian's behavior hadn't seemed odd because he was annoyed with Elias for saying something. It was because he was so insecure over what he had pointed out.

Elias didn't feel particularly proud in noticing a fault in Teuvo and Sebastian's relationship and then bringing attention to it. Hell, if such an established couple like them had issues, he could only imagine what he'd notice between Victor and Jeff.

He grimaced. On second thought, he'd leave the imagining out of the equation.

"He never tells me he has a problem with it." Sebastian's soft response, barely spoken in a tone above a whisper, drew Elias back to him. His big brown eyes filled with fear as they were searching Elias' face for some sort of reassurance. The continued crunching of the apple didn't seem to give him any sign of hope and his eyes dropped to the floor, his teeth beginning to work at his lip again. 

"He probably doesn't want to hurt you, Sepe," Elias began after a moment of not really knowing where to go. "I don't know too much about what you guys have going on, but you seem to be running everything. Teuvo is probably okay with that, and maybe he doesn't want to be out to the whole team, but maybe he wants to be more out than you are."

Sebastian lifted his gaze back up. He furrowed his brow in thought, and Elias watched as some of the defensiveness seeped away, leaving behind a vulnerable side to Sebastian that Elias did not know what to do with. He always seemed so composed and apathetic, and yet.

And yet, just like Brock seemed unfazed by Elias' existence but might not have been, and yet, just like Victor's type so didn't seem like Skinny but he had started dating him anyway.

The warm feeling that had sat in his stomach all last night was fanned back to life at the brief thought of Brock.

Elias did _not_ have time to think about that now, not with a vulnerable Sepe so close to bearing everything to him. He pushed down what he could until it began to dim.

"What do I do?"

This time, Elias didn't have an answer for Sebastian. But like everything else in that brief conversation between the two, he had an idea on where he needed to start.

+

The door had barely swung open before Jeff's smile was lighting up his whole face. "Elias!" he half-shouted, reaching out to give his friend a brief hug. Elias gamely patted him on the back, wondering why Jeff was acting like he hadn't just seen him the night before. And the day before that. And pretty much any day that wasn't an extended off day or a break week.

On the other hand, it was also totally Jeff's personality, so he didn't let it bother him too much. There were a lot of other things rushing around in Elias' brain, and he was much more invested in getting some answers to the many questions he had been creating since the day before, and a few that had existed when it became obvious that Victor wasn't just going to hook up with Jeff a few times and call their thing quits.

"Is that Lindy?" Victor's voice drifted from somewhere inside, which Elias soon discovered was Jeff's den. Victor was stretched out on the couch, thumbing through his phone. He looked relaxed and in a pleasant mood, and was wearing all of his clothes, thank God.

"I texted you, stupid." Elias nudged Victor's feet off the cushion so he could sit down. "You knew it was me."

Victor grunted as he pulled his knees up towards his chest, shifting around for a few moments until he was sitting up. He put his phone on Jeff's coffee table, fixing a disgruntled gaze on Elias. "Could be someone else. Lots of people like to visit Jeff."

"I can't help I'm so popular." Jeff grinned at the pair as he walked into the room. Elias almost groaned as he watched Jeff's gaze immediately flick over to Victor, who slowly started to smile the minute he met it. Jeff's already pink cheeks darkened as his dimples became more prominent. Victor looked away, but the corners of his mouth kept twitching in a way that was definitely suggesting he was holding back a smile.

Elias had never thought that anything so damn cute would make him sick, but he was beginning to consider that his friends might just push him to the point of finding out. 

"You're not gonna sit on his lap?" he joked dryly as Jeff finally sat in the recliner opposite them.

Jeff made a choked laughing noise, but there was a twinkle to his eyes that Elias wasn't too familiar with. "Don't tempt me, Elias."

Elias raised his eyebrows. Jeff had apparently found his game somewhere, and was using it to his total advantage. It was especially impressive for Skinny, who always seemed to be the opposite of provocative. Victor shifted next to him, covering his face with his hands. Even though he couldn't see it, Elias had a pretty strong suspicion that he was coloring red. "I'll try to make sure everything stays G. I'm not looking to know more than I need to."

"You're less nosy than I thought you'd be." Victor had his head back up, no longer seeming to care that he was as red as their home jerseys. 

Elias frowned. "Thanks, Rasker. I'm feeling the love here."

"I'm just saying." Victor had his phone back in his hands, scrolling through his texts message. "Brock said you were complaining about me confiding in him instead of you."

Elias blinked while Jeff uttered a soft, "Victor, you told _Brock_ about me?"

"He figured out that I liked you. Don't worry about him. He won't talk, and he's cool with everything. Besides, how else do you think I get him to move when I want to sit next to you?"

At the mention of the apparent effort Victor was giving to secure time in the stall next to his, Jeff smiled softly, his dark brown eyes taking on a warmth that was clearly signaling how his feelings went well beyond fondness. 

Elias didn't know what to do other than keep blinking. His mind was racing yet again, and he was finding out very quickly that he wasn't very good at catching up to any of its sudden spurts. It was, to say the least, quickly becoming a massive inconvenience. 

"Wait. I wasn't complaining. I just asked him why you'd say anything to him." Brief flashes of the day before in the locker room flooded Elias' mind, quickly followed by the team's victory party. Not everyone had gone, many of the older players electing to return home to their families with brief wishes of a fun yet safe night to most of their younger teammates, but Elias had, as had Victor and Jeff for a bit, and Brock.

He was babysitting Nordy, who was busy trying to get himself into trouble with a group of girls from UNC that were not shying away from recognizing him as a player for the Hurricanes, when he had noticed Brock with Brett, Phillip, Noah, and Haydn. He wasn't sure whether he should approach him or not, knowing it was never a good idea to leave an intoxicated Nordy alone, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Brock kept glancing over at him every few minutes.

It made Elias spend more time than he intended to thinking that maybe there was a possibility that Brock had been giving him glances much longer than he thought he had, and not just on this particular night.

He wasn't sure what to make about it last night and here, sitting on Jeff's couch, he still wasn't sure what to make about it, even though something deep within him felt like he should, but he just - he just didn't _know_. 

Victor didn't seem to notice that Elias seemed more concerned about what Brock was saying than he normally would have been, but an uneasy feeling bubbling up in his stomach was alerting him to the fact that a certain good old friend of his had caught on to things with much more clarity than should have been possible given that Elias was trying hard to keep a straight face.

He made a mental note to not look at Skinny for the rest of his time there. He did not want to see the look on his face, and he didn't have to to know that he would be in deep trouble if he acknowledged him. 

There was also a much more pressing matter that Elias had to attend to, anyway.

"You know what, ignore what I just said." Elias waved his hand dismissively, trying to give extra emphasis to how Rasker and Skinny needed to just ignore his random outburst regarding Brock for the time being, if not ever. "Sebastian needs our help."

Victor put his phone down again. "Is that really why you're here?"

Elias nodded. "Something seems to be up in Finnish paradise."

"Really? They're not acting any different," Jeff remarked.

"Maybe it doesn't look like anything's up, but Sebastian is concerned he's upsetting Teuvo. I might have...accidentally pointed out that Sepe is bothering Teuvo every time he insists they aren't together."

Jeff's "I didn't even notice that!" collided with Victor's "Was it really an accident, Lindy?" Elias chose to wisely ignore Victor's remark and continue on with Jeff's exclamation. Victor was definitely not helping Elias out with his little quip, and that was something Elias was already planning on addressing at another time. 

"It's bothering him enough that he came to my place this morning to ask me about it. I don't know what to tell him, other than he needs to think of Teuvo's feelings."

Jeff tilted his head to the side. "So why'd you come over here?"

"Well, I just figured, you guys are the only other couple I know. Do you...I don't know, think you could talk to him?"

There was a beat of silence, and then Victor sighed. "You think _we_ should be giving Sebastian advice? Him and Teuvo are like, way more established than we are." He glanced over at Jeff, smiling softly. "I know we're doing really good so far, but they've been together a lot longer than us."

"I think I thought they were dating almost a year ago, honestly," Jeff said thoughtfully. "When did I say something about them to you, Vic?"

"In September, when we were eating lunch before training camp started, and you were trying to convince me I had a crush on Elias." Victor glanced over at Elias, rolling his eyes. Elias suppressed a grin, nudging him in the arm. "Waste of your time, huh?"

Jeff had his eyes on the little motions between the two Swedes. His grin had faded into something that resembled a grimace. "Sometimes I wonder."

Victor sighed. "Jeff. Don't even go there." He rose to his feet and sat on the armrest of Jeff's recliner, leaning inwards so he could wrap his arms around Jeff from behind. Jeff leaned back into what he could reach of Victor's chest, his pale cheeks flushing as he snuggled in. "You know better."

Jeff let out a small giggle that sounded more satisfied than a product of laughter. "I guess I do." He glanced up at Victor, who leaned down and kissed his cheek.

Elias blinked slowly. It was a very strange sight to behold, and a very cute one despite that, but it was more of Victor and Jeff being intimate than he had ever wanted to see, and he was hoping that it ended there and not elsewhere.

Victor looked back over at Elias, a curious look in his eyes. "You know who you should go to for advice, Elias?"

Victor didn't even need to say the name before Elias knew who he was talking about. A warm feeling started spreading throughout his body, and he was silently praying that his skin was retaining its normal shade. "Why would I talk to him?"

Despite a shrug, Victor's attempt at a poker face was barely working. "I know what he's cool with. It's worth a try."

Something about Victor's response struck a chord in Elias' memory, but he couldn't place why. "I still don't get why that means he has good advice."

"Give it a shot. You might be surprised." Victor had his phone out. His thumb was moving quickly over his screen, and Elias didn't need to see it to know what he was doing.

The warm feeling was climbing ever higher.

"You can go over whenever after noon. You know where he lives, right? With Brett."

Jeff was looking between Victor and Elias, a sly smile on his face. Victor was also wearing a look that made it look like he knew more than he was willing to let on about something, and Elias didn't know if he should yell at them or just accept his fate.

He wasn't a very angry person unless he was on the ice and the Hurricanes were losing horribly. He knew this meant he had to resign to his fate and get himself over to Brock McGinn's apartment, to apparently find out what he was cool with and to help Sebastian with the whole Teuvo debacle.

Elias just didn't know what was going to happen when he got there. He had a feeling it wasn't going to be anything out of the ordinary, and for that simple reason, it made him more nervous than it should have.


	3. Later That Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Brett Pesce grew up 15 minutes away from me. They have a big poster of him as a Hurricane in the local skating rink where he played as a kid, and his family still lives in the area.
> 
> The italics option is a bit overused in this chapter, but emphasis is emphasis!
> 
> Now that that's been said, thank you all again for the love, and without further ado, enjoy!

Elias was very tired of doors and knocking and the period of waiting both outside them and behind them depending on whatever it was he was doing. Today he had done both, and now, waiting outside of Brock and Brett's apartment, he found himself once again waiting, even though waiting was the last thing he wanted to be doing. 

He had returned to his own apartment for a few hours after leaving Victor and Jeff, restlessly wandering from room to room and straightening up anything he could find that looked like it needed to be straightened before he figured he should make good on whatever Victor had texted and actually go see Brock.

He had been restless the whole ride over to their apartment complex near the outskirts of Raleigh, his brain still buzzing around at a level that Elias was not accustomed to and wasn't sure he wanted to be. He did not like how he couldn't get his thoughts to form coherently, or that the restlessness that had plagued him in his own home was apparently following him on his little excursion.

Elias was a jittery mess, to put it nicely, and the fact that no one had answered immediately was not helping him at all.

He was in the middle of trying to put his head back together when the door finally, _finally_ , opened.

"I was wondering when you were coming over." Brock's tone was teasing but his smile was very bright. 

Elias stared at him. He apparently wasn't functioning properly, as he couldn't get words together to form a basic greeting and he couldn't get his eyes to pull away from Brock's smile, no matter how much he knew he shouldn't just stand there and look at him. Maybe he had been stupid or blind or both for a while, but he honestly couldn't remember Brock's smile being so _nice_. It was better than Jeff's smile, and his smile was magnificent. 

"Well, you know." It took Elias a moment to realize that the random non-statement was uttered by him, and since he still didn't have anything good to add, he just shrugged meekly.

Brock was still smiling at him, but something about it had shifted. He was giving Elias a look that seemed very knowing, and Elias felt that warm feeling flow through him again.

He didn't know what to make of that.

"I think I know. C'mon in. Sorry I didn't answer sooner." Brock turned and Elias followed, the sound of music assaulting his ears almost immediately. "I didn't hear you knock. Somebody won't stop playing Call of Duty with the volume on max."

Brett glanced over at the pair from where he was stretched out on the floor in front of a very large TV. "Don't call me out. Hey, Elias."

Elias gave Brett a small wave that he didn't even see, eyes glued back on the game. Brock had sat down at the end of the sofa, feet propped up on the coffee table and arms extended along the back of the couch. He was looking at Elias, a very small smirk on his face. Elias once again found himself having trouble doing anything but staring at Brock's face, which he was finding out very quickly in whatever part of his brain he was able to get functioning was both a good thing and a bad thing.

It was a bad thing because he was really, _really_ noticing how handsome Brock was, which made the bad thing even more bad because that meant his staring was really obvious. But he supposed it was a good thing because damn, Brock was really attractive, and it was really nice to look at his face. His cheekbones were very sharp and well-angled, and his jaw was strong, and his eyes were really bright for being so brown, and his nose was slightly crooked from being broken in so many fights but it was really cute on him, and his hair - his hair was such a pretty shade of red, Elias was certain he hadn't seen a red so pretty on anyone before, and the way it curled just past the nape of his neck - 

He managed to drop his body onto the couch as far away from Brock's reach as possible. He saw Brock glance down at the space between them very briefly, but when his gaze met Elias' again, he was wearing his smirk with a touch of satisfaction.

Elias looked down into his lap. He was, to put it nicely, fucked.

And the thing Elias was having trouble with, amongst everything else at this point if he just really wanted to be honest with himself, was that he was aware that Brock was attractive. He had known it, or at least thought of it in passing, several times before, but never really allowed himself to give the thought more leverage. Hell, he had even been on a boat with Brock over the All Star break last year, and Brock was about as interested in wearing shirts in warm weather as he was, and yet, somehow, someway, Elias had kept himself from letting his thoughts wander.

They were wandering now a little too freely, but Elias knew he had to keep as blank a face as possible and just get himself home before he did any sort of freaking out.

He wondered vaguely if this was an after-affect of being exposed to both Sebastian and Teuvo and Jeff and Victor. 

Speaking of which.

"So, Elias, what's going on? Rasker texted me something about Sebastian?" Brock had the decency to stop smirking and wear a serious look. Or maybe he actually was concerned, and knew that flirting with Elias and talking about Sebastian should be kept separate. 

_Holy shit_ , Brock had totally been _flirting_ with him, hadn't he? Elias didn't really understand this expression native English speakers used that went something like _hit with a ton of bricks_ , but he was pretty sure it would be an accurate statement to use to describe how he was feeling.

It didn't help that he was beginning to realize that Jeff and Victor totally knew something about Brock being into him, and that what Victor had kept saying about Brock being cool about stuff, was both a fact and also a huge, _huge_ hint. Hell, Brock had even tossed Elias the hint the other night, and he hadn't even paid any attention to it because he was spending so much time worrying about Victor and Jeff, and - 

And Elias really, really, really didn't know what to do with any of this.

"Elias?"

He looked over at Brock, who was watching him with his dark eyes that Elias really liked looking at, but he looked a bit concerned, and Elias knew if he didn't stop acting like something was up, he was totally going to make an ass of himself infront of both Brock and Brett, and Brett even being there was a whole other problem entirely.

Elias tilted his head at Brett, raising both eyebrows. Brock spared him a quick glance before shrugging. "I wouldn't worry about him."

"I don't think Sebastian would agree with you."

"Are you guys talking about Teuvo and Sepe?" Brett asked from his spot on the floor. He was still busy punching away at the buttons on his controller and, despite the loud music, was not having much trouble hearing the not-particularly loud beginnings of a discussion occurring behind him.

"We might be," Brock responded.

"Wait, do you know about Teuvo and Sepe?" Elias asked.

Brett made some sort of a laughing noise. " _Everybody_ knows about Teuvo and Sepe. What, do you think I'm stupid? I'm from New York. We're a perceptive people."

Elias frowned, not quite getting at what Brett was trying to say while also mentally making a note to alert his Finnish friends that their attempts at subtle was not really that subtle if the whole team apparently knew they were a thing. Sebastian would probably not take kindly to that news, and he didn't even know what Teuvo would think about it. 

Brock shook his head, rolling his eyes. " _Americans_ ," he mouthed, giving him a small friendly smile. 

Elias couldn't help but smile back. He watched as Brock looked at him for a long moment, his expression softening, before directing his attention to what might have been the back of Brett's head, or something in the general area of where he was lying.

Elias wanted to hate the back of Brett's head really, really badly, but even he knew how irrational that thought was before he had even thought it. 

"So, Teuvo and Sepe, since we all know what's up. What's up?"

"They're having relationship problems. Sepe is scared about people knowing they're together, but Teuvo doesn't seem to be. He's afraid that he's upsetting Teuvo because he doesn't want to be out but Teuvo seems to want to be."

Brett snorted. "Boy, does he have a surprise coming for him, since they're basically out."

"Sebastian doesn't know that, though," Elias insisted earnestly. He looked back at Brock, who seemed to be lost in thought. "Victor said you might know what to do. I don't know why though."

"I think I know what he was getting at." Brock stood suddenly, stretching his arms above his head. "I mean, I have an idea of what to do, and I have an idea of what Victor wants me to do. But they're not going to be easy, and I don't know what's going to be popular with Sebastian."

"He kept saying you were..." Elias stopped suddenly, the rest of his sentence getting caught in his throat.

Brock narrowed his eyes. "He said what?"

"That you were cool about things. Certain things."

There was a moment of silence in the conversation where Brock was just gazing at Elias. Brett was still on the floor, happily murdering people, and Elias was still sitting on the couch, but at some point he had moved towards the edge of his seat and he hadn't even noticed he was moving. He wondered if Brock's brain was racing at the same speed his was behind his very composed expression. If the same sort of thoughts were rushing through his head. If he was wondering what to do next.

Elias felt his throat grow dry. God, what if he _was_ planning his next move?

Brock finally smirked again as he shook his head. "Yeah, I think I know _exactly_ what he wants me to do," he said, and it almost seemed as if he were saying it more to himself than to the audience in the room.

"What's that?"

Brock shook his head. "I haven't come up with anything just yet, but I think I should have it all figured out by tonight."

Elias furrowed his brow. "Why tonight?"

"Bunch of us are going to dinner at Staalsie's," Brett interjected. "Of course his favorite lineys are going to be there."

"Oh. I didn't know that." Elias racked his mind for a moment where Jordan Staal had addressed him about a team dinner, but he couldn't recall any mention of it.

"Did Rasker not tell you? He said something to all of us while you were in the showers after the game last night," Brock said.

Elias sighed. "No, he didn't. He was a bit too distracted by other things yesterday and today to mention it to me." At least he had plans for dinner now that didn't involve take-out and eating alone. That was one, easy, solid positive to look forward to.

Brock laughed softly. "How's that thing going?"

"It's going. Somehow, someway."

"I still don't get it." He was shaking his head. "No idea what Rasker thinks he's doing."

Elias rose from the couch. He knew he didn't need to leave right away because Brock and Brett weren't the type to just throw people out of their apartment without making it clear they wanted them to leave, and Elias knew he wasn't getting any go-away vibes from Brock, but a plan was beginning to formulate in the back of his mind now that he knew there was a team dinner in a few hours. 

"Sometimes, you can't explain who you like, or why you like them. It just happens. And sometimes, you don't even realize you like someone until one day, you just do." Elias was staring very purposefully at Brock, who was meeting his gaze full-on. There were no more little smirks or smiles or laughter. His expression was very serious. Elias appreciated that, but it was also absolutely terrifying him. "I don't think Victor knew he was going to like Jeff, but it happened, and he went for it, and now he's happy. And that's okay how it happened. Even if he doesn't know what he's doing." _I don't know what I'm doing_ he wanted to say, except he couldn't. Not just yet.

Brock must have sensed what he was feeling, because he gave Elias a very, very soft smile. "Well, I'm happy for him. I mean it. Even if he doesn't know what he's doing."

Elias wasn't sure they were completely talking about Victor still. "I need to go," he breathed out softly. Brock blinked at him. "I mean. Dinner, tonight? I should get ready, and text Victor that he sucks for not telling me."

"It starts at 7," Brett mumbled from the floor. "Don't be late."

"Thanks, Brett. I'll see you there." Elias turned and headed for the exit. He could hear Brock behind him, and even if he couldn't, Elias knew he would be followed regardless.

He had his hand on the doorknob, the door itself half open, when something inside him made him still. "Hey," he heard Brock whisper very softly. Elias paused, staring at his hand on the knob for a long moment. He finally straightened his head and looked over his shoulder.

Brock's face was an open book. His body was wearing the same vulnerability that Sepe had been wearing earlier, but instead of being defensive he was completely bearing himself to Elias. Never had Elias seen so much emotion being offered by one person before. Never had he seen so much emotion being directed at _him_.

There were no words he could find in English or Swedish to describe what he was seeing, how he was feeling. It was all just too, too much.

"Hey," Brock said again, after the silence had lingered too long. He reached his hand out slowly and gently covered the top of Elias’ doorknob gripping hand. Elias felt his skin burst into flames. He was surprised when he didn't see literal smoke rising up into the air. 

He had no idea how he had never noticed how large Brock’s hands were.

"Hey. What will make you believe me?"

Elias looked from their touching hands to Brock's eyes. He was close, very close, but Elias knew despite the shrinking distance between them that Brock would not kiss him. There was too much concern in his eyes, too much vulnerability that he was giving off, and it was the weirdest vibe to get from Brock. 

Brock, who wasn't afraid to punch someone twice his size in the face, was apparently not as confident when it came to him.

Elias couldn't make sense of it, but the thought made that warm feeling that had been surging throughout his body grow into something that made his insides feel very light. As if he was floating.

No, he could tell with complete certainty that Brock wasn't going to kiss him, so Elias closed the distance between them instead.

Brock's lips were very, very soft.

Elias pulled back first. His insides were screaming. "I'll see you tonight, okay?"

Brock's eyelids fluttered slightly as they opened. It took a moment for his gaze to refocus. His cheeks were flushed a faint red. "Okay."

Elias turned and left. His mind was screaming, his body was screaming, every single inch of him and his existence was screaming. As he rushed down the stairs towards the parking garage, he felt like he was going to explode from everything that had happened and was going to happen.

He managed to pause long enough before he got in his car to do one last thing. _I'm going to kill you_.

 _What?_ Victor texted back almost instantly.

Tonight would be interesting, to say the least.


	4. That Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a lot longer to write than intended - but here it is in all its finished glory. Thank you to those who have read thus far, and to those who will finish this journey with me! Enjoy!

Elias returned to his apartment as jittery a mess as he had left it. He tried not to think about what had just happened less than an hour earlier, but it was hard to keep the thoughts away when his brain had wired itself to think of nothing else. His skin was also showing off its ability to retain memory - his lips could still feel the soft touch of Brock's lips as if they were still hidden in the darkness of the hallway, kissing. 

When he had pulled away, Elias had given himself a few seconds just to look at Brock before his eyes reopened. There had been a very serene look to Brock's face, his cheeks just tinted the lightest shade of pink, and something about seeing Brock look so very peaceful about having Elias kiss him had made him feel even more nervous.

He didn't know what to think of anything. 

All he was certain of was that there was a dinner that night, and a lot of things that Elias could barely even begin to comprehend might happen, but he knew he needed to remain calm about everything.

He also knew he would have trouble remaining calm on his own, so he sent a text to the only person he knew would be able to keep his mind grounded.

Jeff arrived half an hour before they were due at Jordan's, sticking his head around the corner of the closet door to find Elias knee-deep in a pile of clothes he had been tossing around for what was going on an hour. Jeff had a spare key to Elias' apartment, being one of three people Elias had entrusted to give access to his home - Victor was also one, and his cousin Calle the other. 

Elias turned to smile weakly at Jeff, holding up several pairs of button-up shirts in his fisted hands. Now that Jeff and Victor were together, the spare key that Victor had was basically rendered useless - Elias wondered if he should ask for it back, a quick flash of the person he _could_ be giving it to fluttering into his brain.

He wasn't sure if he was getting ahead of himself - he wasn't sure of anything, honestly, and that was something he was becoming more and more aware of with each passing minute.

"Wow, this looks worse than I was expecting," Jeff mused, grinning brightly. He waded through a pile of jeans to reach Elias, squatting down at his side. "Tell me what's up."

"Nothing? Maybe something? I don't know." Elias dropped his shirts to the floor, sighing. "How do you know if you're putting way too much effort into something?"

"It's a case-by-case basis, Lindy." Jeff reached out, rubbing Elias' shoulder gently. "We're running low on time, but I want to hear about everything in the car. My advice to you is to just pick something casual...be yourself, you know? You'd make a paper bag look good."

Despite how lame the compliment was, Elias couldn't hold back a small smile. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jeff's blinding grin - but he could also spot the genuine fondness in his dark eyes, and for the first time, the hurricane of emotions that had been swirling in the pit of his stomach finally started to subside.

It was in the clearing of this storm that Elias received his first glimpse of what made Jeff so appealing to Victor. It would be hard not to fall for someone with a smile so pretty or who just radiated so much genuine kindness. Jeff truly was one of his greatest friends.

He didn't have to worry about losing him, or even Victor, despite them dating each other - Elias would be embarrassed to admit he had ever worried about that, or that it had taken him that long to realize that he really shouldn't be worried about it.

"Give me a few to get dressed and we'll get going, yeah?"

"What, I can't watch?" Jeff tried to force a disappointed pout on his lips, but it didn't last.

Elias narrowed his eyes at him. "Do I have to give Rasker a call?"

"Yes, definitely. You should let him know I'm really invested in you taking your shirt off in front of me."

Elias picked up a sneaker that was within reach and gently tossed it at Jeff. "Get out of here, Skinny. You've got your Swede."

Jeff just managed to dodge the sneaker, laughing, his cheeks a deep dark red. "Yeah, I do, and looks like I might not be the only one on the team with that privilege soon, eh?" He managed to dodge back around the door, his footfalls growing distant as he rushed away, before Elias was able to lob another shoe at him. 

Elias mentally cursed Jeff out as images of Brock swarmed his mind again, his brain rushing ahead to a future that wasn't guaranteed to exist: Brock smiling at him on a date, Brock reaching out and lacing their fingers together, Brock curled into his side on the couch in the darkness with the TV on and his face illuminated by the glow of some random hockey game, gently kissing his neck as his hands moved down, down, down.

He could barely work on a dark green t-shirt and pair of jeans, his focus so lost on his daydreams. When he wandered out into the den to find Jeff sitting on the armrest of his couch, he barely observed Jeff working over him with his eyes, but he caught the pleased smile on his face. "That green really brings out your eyes," he said.

"It wasn't intentional." Elias toed on a pair of sneakers by the door.

"Well it's definitely going to work in your favor." Jeff nudged him companionably in the shoulder, reaching for the doorknob. 

The pair made their way outside and into Jeff's car. They were fifteen minutes into the drive to Staalsie's, Elias looking out the passenger window but not really seeing Raleigh slipping away as they cruised towards the suburbs, when Jeff coughed in a way that was probably supposed to be inconspicuous but really came off as trying-to-hard.

Elias turned his head to look at his friend. "Are you dying?"

Jeff giggled. "Obviously not. So. Spill. I know it's about Brock."

"But I never told you it was about Brock."

"But I know it's about Brock. You didn't forget who my boyfriend is, right?"

"No, and you should make sure Rasker knows I don't appreciate him getting in the middle of things."

"He's not in the middle of anything." Jeff waved a dismissive hand in Elias' general direction. "Not because he wants to be, at least."

"Did Brock, like...ask for help, or something?"

"Ask for help, no. Talk to Victor about you..." He trailed off as he made a left turn off the exit that would lead towards the town that Jordan lived just on the other side of, "...well, you didn't hear it from me, but maybe he was over for dinner a few times and maybe they were talking about stuff. I don't know exactly though. I wasn't there."

"Then how do you know they were talking about me if you weren't there?" Elias was honestly a bit shocked at the idea that Victor and Jeff actually spent extended periods of time away from each other. He couldn't confirm it completely, but he was pretty sure they split time sleeping at each other's apartments. 

At his question, a sly smile appeared on Jeff's face. Regret hit Elias like a check to the boards. "Let's just say that Vic gets pretty chatty after certain things happen."

Elias slammed his hands over his ears, clenching his eyes shut. "Oh, god, Skinny, _shut up_ ", he moaned. "I don't even want to _think_ about that."

Jeff let out what was definitely a cackle. "Alright, alright. Back to Brock. Did something weird happen earlier today?"

"Not that I know of, unless you think weird is him hitting on me with Brett lying in front of us playing Call of Duty." He paused, a warm feeling flowing through him as the memory of what he was about to reveal flooded back into his brain. "I might have, also, ah..."

Jeff clenched the steering wheel. "You did _not_!" he exclaimed, giggling. "Lindy, I'm so happy for you!"

"But I didn't even tell you what happened."

"But I know you and I know you kissed him." The car rolled to a stop at the change of the light, and Elias took the pause in motion to look outside the window. He recognized the neighborhood they were now in - they were only mere minutes from Staalsie's. 

His heart sped up as the warm feeling started spreading again. 

"What do I do?" he whispered, unable to take his eyes off the road ahead of them. The houses passed by faster than they ever had even though Elias knew Jeff barely ever went over the speed limit, and he soon saw a line of cars off in the distance that he definitely recognized as belonging to a group of his teammates.

"Do you like him?" Elias had no trouble hearing the serious tone that had taken over Jeff's voice, and he wanted to tell him that he appreciated the lack of teasing or giggling immensely, but he just couldn't find the words.

He couldn't find the words to respond to Jeff either, his voice drying up in his throat, but his heart was thrumming a swift _yes yes yes_ in response, so he just nodded his head until he knew Jeff had seen his unspoken reply.

They pulled up behind the red pickup truck that belonged to Hanny, Staalsie's large house coming into view. Elias could feel the vibration of music throughout the car, and he saw the flickering of flames from the grill casting a shadow on the fence that surrounded the backyard. Staalsie was upfront working on the food with Wardo and Faulker, the trio all holding a beer in hand and laughing together amicably as Staalsie turned what looked like hamburgers over. 

He was jolted back into the car when he felt Jeff reach out and squeeze his knee. "Hey," his friend said, smiling softly once Elias had turned his attention back to him, "Don't worry. You'll be fine. Everything'll be fine. He really likes you, Elias. Just go with whatever feels right between you two."

If there had been a way that Elias could have told Jeff he loved him but in a way that wasn't the way Victor probably loved him so that he didn't have to worry about Rasker kicking his ass he totally would have, but Elias still hadn't figured out how to do that yet. He did know he should probably take everything one step at a time, and right now any step he took was definitely heading towards Brock.

So instead he settled with a soft "You're the best", causing Jeff to look like he was about to cry. Elias was thankful when he didn't, and the two got out of Jeff's car, making their way towards the house.

"Welcome, boys!" Jordan greeted them cheerfully, waving his spatula. "Food will be ready soon. Drinks are in the cooler on the back porch. There's some snacks up there too. Everyone else is in the back."

"Hi Jordan, thanks so much for everything. This is really great." Jeff grinned brightly as everyone reached out to slap his and Elias' hands.

"Just want you guys to know I appreciate all the hard work you've put in so far this season."

"Hey, this was my idea too," Faulker nudged Jordan's shoulder. "I bought like half the food."

"Which is why we're hosting it here at my place and I'm doing all the cooking and you're..." Jordan raised an eyebrow at Faulker, who looked sheepishly at his beer.

"Okay, okay. You got me."

Jeff and Elias laughed appreciatively at their co-captains' attempts at antics before making their way into Jordan's backyard. A group of their teammates were sitting around a fire pit chatting loudly, and a group of teammates were up on the porch doing the same. Elias scanned the familiar faces, nodding or waving hello when acknowledged. He spotted Victor over near the swing-set that belonged to Jordan's daughters, talking with Nordy and Teuvo. He didn't even have to look at Jeff to know that he was beaming at Victor already; one glance in their direction and Elias could see the grin growing on Victor's face, his eyes in their direction but totally on just Jeff.

He barely even had a chance to wave hello to his friends when he felt someone grab his elbow.

"I've been thinking about what you said all day." Sebastian was looking at him earnestly, his brown eyes wide. "And I know what I have to do."

"That's good," Elias said, trying to subtly peer over Sebastian's head. He hadn't spotted Brock anywhere, or Brett for that matter. The warm feeling was starting to morph into a tumultuous storm again, and he wondered vaguely if there was a chance he might start panicking. "I tried to find help for you, but no one gave me any good advice."

"I'd be lying if I said I was surprised to hear that." Sebastian waved his hand dismissively as he took a swig of the beer he was holding. Elias raised an eyebrow, pretty sure he had never seen Sebastian drink anything that wasn't straight up hard liquor before. The Finn was, to put it mildly, beyond surprising at all times. And all this dismissive hand-waving was actually getting kind of annoying, if Elias had to be honest. "You are a great team, and great teammates, but sometimes, you are all very stupid."

"I really like you too, Sepe," Elias deadpanned. Over the top of Sebastian's head he could see Teuvo watching them, his face wracked with confusion.

Sebastian huffed, putting his hands on his hips. "Oh, stop. You are my friend, Elias, but you don't pay attention to _anything_."

It was a strange remark, so strange that it took Elias no more than a moment before he figured out that Sebastian was talking about Brock. "How do you know about that?" Suspicion was growing alongside every other feeling that was existing within Elias' twirling insides, and he made a mental note to stay far, far way from any alcohol that night.

Sebastian smirked. "Teuvo and I might have had some things to talk about when it comes to our relationship, and there is something I have to do tonight. But maybe I don't need as much help as you think I do."

It took a moment for Elias to follow Sebastian's statements from each start to each end, but he was putting the puzzle pieces together much faster than he had expected. The picture he was forming was not one he would have ever expected to see, but things that hadn't made sense with his friends over the last day suddenly were. 

"Oh fuck, you all _knew_!" he gasped, staring at Sebastian, who only continued to smirk at him. "Are you guys setting me up?"

"Not quite. Shoving you in the right direction is more accurate." 

"But...but you didn't even _say_ anything about him to me!"

"No, but I knew if I asked you for help you would go to Jeff and Victor, and they would direct you from there. Jeff really wants you to be happy, Elias, and he knows how bothered you are that he and Victor don't get to spend as much time with you anymore. And Victor has been Brock's confidant for a while. So. We were all just waiting for you to get it together, but you never did, so we decided to help."

Elias was beyond dumbfounded, and without any words to say. He looked helplessly from Sebastian over to where Victor and Jeff were standing with a blissfully unaware Nordy and a still-confused Teuvo. His friends were both looking at him, Jeff half ducking behind Victor's shoulder every time he caught Elias' gaze.

"What do I do?" he muttered softly.

"Go and talk to Brock," Sebastian replied as if it were the easiest thing in the world. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go talk to someone as well." And with that Sebastian Aho threw his shoulders back and raised his chin high, gliding past Elias. Elias turned to watch Sebastian as he made his way over to Staalsie, who was coming in from the front with a plate of steaming hamburgers. He stopped in front of their captain, who glanced down at his teammate and liney, a warm smile flooding his face with a fondness every Hurricane knew Jordan held for Sebastian and Teuvo only.

"What is he doing?" Teuvo was at Elias' shoulder now, gazing curiously at Sebastian, who once again had his hands on his hips, his voice faint as he talked to their captain. As small as he was, he was holding his own against all 6'4'' of Jordan, whose expression had changed to a look of surprise, but whose fondness had not faded either. One quick glance over at Teuvo confirmed what Elias knew Sebastian was talking to Jordan about.

"He really loves you, you know that, right?" he responded. 

When he turned his head to look at Teuvo, the Finn had a soft smile on his face as he stared at his boyfriend. "Yeah, I do." The softness of Teuvo's tone was its own statement of love back, and even though Sebastian wasn't there to hear it, Elias figured he probably knew it anyway.

A few more minutes passed before Sebastian walked back over. He immediately curled under Teuvo's offered arm, smiling shyly up at his boyfriend. Teuvo was beaming down at him. "Why Jordan?" he asked softly.

"Because he's important to us, and he should know," Sebastian responded. The look he was giving Teuvo was very serious, more serious than he usually looked. "I want anyone we care about to know."

Elias made the smart move to turn away just as Teuvo leaned in to Sebastian's ear and whispered something in Finnish that made Sebastian laugh softly, coloring a light shade of pink.

A few teammates passed by him as he made his way over to where Nordy, Elias, and Jeff still were, the scent of the hamburgers drawing the hungry hockey players into one general area. He reached his friends just as he heard Nordy exclaim "Well I'm gonna eat even if you guys aren't coming!" He paused to reach out and clasp Elias by the arm as he made his way over to the porch, leaving the three of them by themselves.

Elias just looked at Victor and Jeff for a moment, unsure of what to say. "You're not upset with us, are you?" Jeff pipped up softly, still partially ducked behind Victor's shoulder.

Elias rolled his eyes at his friends, shaking his head. "Nah, it's cool. I just wished I had figured everything out sooner, you know? I feel like I've missed a lot of opportunities."

"You have, but you haven't missed all of them yet," Victor replied. 

"I don't even see him here."

"Per usual, you're not looking," Jeff said, laughing. "But this time it's like, you're literally not looking." He grabbed Elias by the shoulders and spun him around. "Try over there."

Brock was standing with Brett, Haydn, and Phillip by the far end of Jordan's porch. Haydn was telling a story, his hands gesturing wildly, the group bursting into laughter. Elias watched as Brock threw his head back, his body shaking, his eyes crinkling with happiness, his smile wide and so absolutely beautiful that it was almost becoming painful for Elias to keep looking at him.

He wanted him so, _so_ badly, and god, how had he ever been so _blind_?

The group regained composure and Haydn talked for a few more minutes before they all paused to sip the beers they were each nursing. Philip started pointing up towards the porch and Haydn was nodding and then they started walking away. Brett turned to Brock briefly before he too started gesturing up at the porch. Brock was nodding, taking another sip of his beer.

Elias was stepping forward without even realizing his feet were moving. Brett glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, a slight smirk turning up the corner of his lip. He turned away from Brock to full-on stare at Elias, and damn it - he totally knew something was up too, didn't he? Brett nodded at Elias as he stepped past him to head in the direction of the food, the smirk never leaving his face even though he didn't say anything.

Brock finally looked at Elias as he slowed to a stop infront of him. Both of his hands were tightly wrapped around the body of his beer bottle, which he was holding against his chest, almost as if it was a weapon and he was protecting himself. He had his head tilted slightly to the side, his hair half-falling into his face like he was hiding behind that too, and he didn't give Elias one of his large, teasing smiles, but rather a small, gentle smile, hesitant and unsure.

There was a pause as the two boys just looked at each other.

"So I didn't mean to just run out on you earlier," Elias started, knowing that even though he didn't want to be the one to speak first, he had to be. "But...I don't know what I'm doing, or what to do." 

Brock had lifted his head up a bit so he wasn't peeking at Elias anymore. He was still wearing his hesitant smile, but his eyes looked much, much warmer. There was a trace of the openness Elias had seen hours earlier, and it was so terrifying - and yet, something was exciting about it as well. There was a possibility there that Elias had only just figured out existed, and it was the type of possibility that he knew he was going to pursue. 

The swirling warmth of emotion reached high speed within him. It rattled around like the hurricane of feelings that it was, leaving destruction within its wake - but with its power Elias began to find the courage to do what he needed to do. 

"I like you," he said, so softly he wasn't even sure he had actually spoken.

Watching Brock's face brighten confirmed all that he needed to know. "Good," he responded, kneeling slightly to put his beer on the ground. "Because I really, really like you."

And then his hands were a warm, solid pressure against Elias' neck as he pulled him forward for a kiss. Elias mentally thanked Jordan for building such a wide, high porch to keep them obscured from their teammates as he wrapped his arms around Brock's waist to yank him against his chest. Brock was radiating a warmth that seemed to match the feeling that was now exploding within Elias, and he felt a dizzy giddiness settle over him. 

He could not imagine ever stopping kissing Brock. He didn't care if Brock kissed every last wisp of air from his lungs. Dying from kissing Brock McGinn certainly sounded like the absolute best way to go.

Brock’s hands slipped down towards his shoulders, encircling Elias in a tight embrace. Elias found himself being turned slowly as Brock began to guide him backwards until he was shoved against the side of the house. Brock pressed his weight against him as their mouths continued moving together, their tongues tangled and hands roving as if they had never known what it was like to touch another person before. Brock was a heavy pressure on his body, and in the hazy fog of his brain Elias conjured up images of Brock fighting, all red-faced and furious, and god, he was so _strong_. Elias was absolutely in over his head with how much he liked having Brock's weight pressing down on him. 

He was learning very quickly that there were a lot of things he liked about Brock.

One of the early contenders for his favorite was definitely that it had been minutes, but Brock's lips were still so, so soft.

When Brock pulled away he buried his face against Elias' shoulder, his nose pressed against Elias' neck. His chest was heaving, his breath a damp warmth on Elias' skin. Elias shivered, a jolt of electricity shooting all the way down his body until it transformed into a deep ache of want that settled just below his stomach. 

"God, what I want to do to you," Brock muttered softly, his hands having come to a rest against Elias' waist. He squeezed him gently, a quiet laugh escaping his lips, and he rocked against Elias' body very briefly, but not quickly enough for Elias to miss exactly how Brock wanted him - and, god, _yes_ , Elias wanted it too.

"You think we can convince them all to leave?" Elias asked, his voice hoarse. He felt Brock smiling against his neck, and god, it was the best thing _ever_. He glanced up quickly; no teammates had wandered over, and no one was hanging over the deck watching them, so they were still safe, somehow, someway.

"I wish." Brock pulled back. His face was even more flushed than it had been hours early, but the look in his eyes suggested he was very close to being gone, and damnit, if it wasn't the hottest thing Elias had ever seen. "We gotta play nice or they'll all catch on."

"I think at least four people already know."

"That's about three more than I had intended to know." Brock smiled softly at him. "You know, Victor said you could be a bit stupid at times."

"Is that all he said about me?" Elias smiled back at him, not even bothering to care that Victor had apparently insulted him. He was beginning to understand why Victor and Jeff were always beaming at each other like they couldn't help it. It was really, really hard to not want to smile at Brock for hours.

"No. Most of it was nice. None of it was really helpful, though."

"So that's why you had to get everyone else involved?"

"Oh yeah. I had him enlist as many people as he thought we'd need. I guess that's why there's four." The shy look overcame Brock's face again as he reached out and took Elias' hand in his. "I was trying to come up with something for a while, but I just...couldn't."

"I'm sorry I didn't get it sooner." Elias looked down at their clasped hands. He really, really liked how that looked. How it felt, well - he'd find the words, he was certain.

"It was actually really cute watching you figure everything out."

"Part of my charm, huh?"

Brock gave him a very serious look. "Oh, yeah. Totally."

And just like he couldn't help it with everything else when it came to Brock, Elias couldn't help but smile at that. He leaned in and kissed him again, his insides crying out with joy that this was something he could actually _do_ now. 

"Wanna go show our faces before anybody starts asking questions?" Brock nodded back towards the general area of the backyard.

"Yeah, I guess, unfortunately. Gotta let Jeff and Victor see their help paid off." Elias chuckled at the image of Jeff bouncing around with glee while Victor stood stoically by him, nodding sagely. It totally wasn't going to play out like that with the rest of the team around, but Elias quite liked the thought of it regardless.

Brock walked out first, Elias quickly following him. The team had started to disperse between the porch and the fire pit again, and a few glances were shot their way once they had come in to view but no one said anything. 

Elias saw Jeff and Victor on the porch steps. Jeff waved frantically at him, his eyes searching Elias' face, and Elias looked at him and shrugged, but he had a hard time fighting back a grin as Brock glanced back at him, smirking. 

Jeff definitely got the message, as he gripped Victor by the elbow, barely able to keep himself from bouncing down the stairs. Victor smiled at Elias, and then he detached himself from Jeff as he went over to Brock. 

Brett came down the stairs behind Jeff, looking from Elias to Brock. "Yeah?" he called out to Brock, who glanced over at him and nodded once. Brett raised his beer at Elias, smiling. "Fucking finally. I was getting tired of listening to Brock whine." 

"Hey, shut up, Brett!" Brock called back over his shoulder, but he was laughing anyway. 

"Something up guys?" Staalsie had appeared from the front yard, carrying more food with him. He was being trailed by both Teuvo and Sebastian, the former holding two bags of buns and the latter more paper plates. "No bad vibes at my dinner."

"All's good, captain," Brett replied. Jordan eyed all of them before he nodded with satisfaction and continued on with his food. 

Teuvo glanced at them all, looking pleased, and Sebastian paused very briefly as he passed Elias, muttering a soft, "You can thank me later, Sweden," before he quickly scurried up the stairs behind the rest of the TSA line. 

"So?" Jeff popped up almost in Elias' face. 

"So." Elias nodded. 

The two friends grinned at each other. "Good, good, this is really good. Like, really good," Jeff babbled. "When you guys figure out all the specifics, we should do dinner. Victor cooks really well."

"Surprisingly, I knew that," Elias remarked. "But yeah, definitely."

"Dinner sounds good," Brock remarked as he stopped next to Jeff's shoulder, Victor right behind him. "Those burgers actually smell amazing."

"I'm probably gonna go get another one," Victor remarked. He reached out and quickly wrapped his fingers around Jeff's wrist, squeezing it. "You should come with me."

"Of course. I think there's more salad for me to eat." Jeff beamed brightly at Brock and Elias before he followed after Victor, the two moving at a suspiciously fast speed up the stairs.

Brock turned his attention back to Elias. "You eat anything yet?" he asked as Hanny, Slavo, TVR, and Darls all walked by. 

"Nope. Probably should though."

"Well, this is a dinner party." He leaned in slightly once they were more alone. "I'm thinking you should eat something and I should eat something. And in about twenty minutes, you might want to go around the front of the house towards this car that's parked across the street, and then you'll want to get in it."

Elias tried his best to keep a straight face, but his insides were beginning to happily scream once again. "And why would I want to get inside some random car across the street?"

Brock looked away, shrugging slightly. "Oh, I don't know. But I think you'll like it when you find out." And with that he walked away.

Elias watched him go; once he reached the top of the stairs, Brock glanced over his shoulder. He smiled brightly at Elias, who could only respond with a bright smile back. 

He had never been so excited for twenty minutes to pass, or to get inside a dark car on a dark street, only mere feet away from some of the closest friends he had ever made in his life, some of whom knew exactly where two of their teammates had disappeared to, and some who did not.

But that concern was quickly becoming the last thing on Elias' mind as Brock locked the doors to his car and shoved Elias down on his backseat, crawling on top of him, yanking the neck of his t-shirt down so he could press kiss after kiss along his collarbone, working his way up his neck and then to his jaw, fast and soft and needy in a way that Elias was quickly figuring out was going to drive him absolutely insane.

The warm hurricane of emotions dissipated the minute that Brock worked his way up high enough to press his lips against Elias' for a slow, proper kiss; happiness burst forth in its wake, leaving Elias beyond certain that _this_ was exactly what he wanted.

Being certain was the best feeling, second only to knowing that Brock was actually his, and that this - this was his too.

Saying he was happy wouldn't even being to cover what Elias was feeling - but he would find the words, eventually.

He was no longer worrying about anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Brett carpooled with Brock to dinner but had to be driven home by Jeff due to Brock's car being occupied with things that would scar Brett for life if he peeked in the back windows. Brett was informed ahead of time of these arrangements and was okay with it, although he'd be happier if Jeff listened to better music.
> 
> 2\. Jordan honestly figured that Teuvo and Sebastian were dating before Sebastian decided to say anything to him, but he never wanted to assume because that just isn't the mark of a good captain. To say he's touched doesn't even begin to cover the honor of Sebastian telling him that they are together, but he's honestly just that happy for his lineys. 
> 
> 3\. That thing Teuvo whispered in Sebastian's ear? Yeah, he's the proudest boyfriend ever right now and he wanted Sebastian to know that he has something to look forward to when they got home in a few hours. You would never know by his calm demeanor but Sebastian is looking so forward to it that he can barely contain himself.
> 
> 4\. Jordan would also like it to be known that he's also totally on to Victor and Jeff despite neither of them saying anything yet. He sat around and watched Jeff get flustered over Eric for years so he knows what Jeff is like when he's into someone, and he's way worse with Victor than he ever was with his brother. 
> 
> 5\. To be honest, Brett doesn't get why all these people on his team are dating each other - but he's totally cool with it. They're all his good friends anyway, and seeing them happy makes him happy. It's a really weird feeling, actually, and Brett is not a feelings person most days.
> 
> 6\. Okay so Elias didn't mean to lie, but waking up the next morning curled up against Brock??? _That_ is actually the best thing ever.
> 
>  
> 
> ((Thank you all so much for reading!!! Until next time.))


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